Time-controlled liquid dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser of liquid feed is provided for automatically dispensing feed at a predetermined rate to livestock. The dispenser does not require daily attention and is operative over long periods of time. The dispenser comprises a container to hold a supply of liquid feed having a feed discharge outlet and a length of pipe positioned within the container. One end of the pipe is hingedly connected in communication with the feed discharge outlet and the other open end of the pipe is suspended from a cable. Downward movement of the cable is controlled by a clockwork motor and permits the open end of the pipe to swing downward in a vertical plane at a predetermined rate and drain the liquid feed from the container into a feeder means accessible to the feeding animal.

United States Patent [72] Inventors [2]] Appl.

221 Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee Philip C. Anderson;

Frank Lothrop, Crete, Nebr.

Sept. 9, 1968 Jan. 26, 197 1 Feed Service Corporation Crete, Nebr.

a corporation of Nebraska [54] TIME-CONTROLLED LIQUID DISPENSER 1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figs.

[51] Int.C1 [50] Field of Search U.S.Cl -1l9/5l.l1 A01k05/02 222/464X 222/464X 222/464X 222/376X Primary Examiner-Aldrich F. Medbery Att0rneyCifelli & Behr ABSTRACT: A dispenser of liquid feed is provided for automatically dispensing feed at a predetermined rate to livestock. The dispenser does not require daily attention and is operative over long periods of time.

The dispenser comprises a container to hold a supply of liquid feed having a feed discharge outlet and a length of pipe positioned within the container. One end of the pipe is hingedly connected in communication with the feed discharge outlet and the other open end of the pipe is suspended from a cable. Downward movement of the cable is controlled by a clockwork motor and permits the open end of the pipe to swing downward in a vertical plane at a predetermined rate and drain the liquid feed from the container into a feeder means accessible to the feeding animal.

PATENTEU JANZS m SHEET 2 BF 3 S R N W I PHILIP C. ANDERSON FRANK LOTHROP .7 A I m ATTORNEYS PATENTEUJANZSISYI I 231557.759,

' sum 3 or 3 I 38 INVIiN'I'nRS PHILIP C. ANDERSON FIG; 7 I 13y RANK Lornnop Wag/ AT ORNEYS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The art of mass free choice supplementary liquid feeding of livestock has been known for some time. Various forms of feeder heads have been utilized including balls or wheels which dip into and revolve in liquid feed, thereby to deliver such feed to the animals in response to licking thereof by said animals, but prior to our invention referred to below, the dispensing of the liquid feed to feeder has been more or less uncontrolled and thereby resulting in either undesirable overfeeding or underfeeding.

This invention relates to automatically controlled liquid dispensers adapted to deliver a liquid feed for voluntary consumption by herds of livestock and is an improvement over the apparatus described and claimed in our US. Pat. No. 3,347,212.

It is an object of this invention to provide, within a liquid feed tank having an outlet leading to a feeder means, a selfcontained dispensing control means operative to time and regulate flow of liquid feed from the supply tank to the feeder means, whereby delivery of liquid feed available to the animals is automatically started and stopped, so that such available feed is adequate for animal consumption, but nevertheless limited to prevent overfeeding consumption.

It is another object of this invention to provide, within liquid feed tank and thereby protected from contact with feeding animals, a time controlled, gravity responsive, liquid feed dispensing conduit or arm which is movable with respect to the level of feed liquid within a supply tank, and in such manner as to start and stop outflow of feed liquid from the tank under timed controlled conditions.

It is an important advantage of the present invention that the liquid feed is dispensed in such a way that the aroma permeates the atmosphere and attracts livestock to the feeder head, thereby eliminating any m necessity to train the livestock to use the feeder.

Yet another advantage of the invention is the utilization of a leakproof animal feeding means, whereby the liquid feed that is dispensed is accessible to the feeding animals but cannot be discharged upon the ground. Ball-type feed dispensers are subject to wear and may remain in an open position, thereby wasting the feed. if sand or other foreign material from the feeding animal's tongue becomes wedged between the surface of the ball and the feeder outlet.

Other objects and further details of that which we believe to be novel and our invention will be understood from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of our invention, considered with reference to the accompanying drawings thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a liquid feed supply tank;

FIG. 2 is a front side elevational view of a liquid feed supply tn tank;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the same, viewed from the right of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, showing the time controlled dispensing means according to our invention;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the timing mechanism by which the dispensing control means is actuated;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of said timing mechanism; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of selectable reels or spools, of various diameters, adapted to pay out a cable or cord, operated by the timing mechanism, whereby to movably support the dispensing control means.

Like characters of reference are applied in the several abovedescribed views, to indicate corresponding parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates a tank of suitable a capacity to hold a supply of liquid feed to be dispensed. Preferably, this tank is generally rectangular in shape when viewed from the end, the width of the tank decreasing slightly from top to bottom. Although such shape of tank is preferable, tanks of cylindrical, oval or other forms, can be used. The tank I0 can be made from wood, metal or any other suitable material. The tank illustrated is constructed of metal with a wooden top provided with a filler opening that is normally closed by a hinged door 11. The tank 10 and the time controlled liquid feed dispensing system (later described) is constructed to provide a sealed unit adapted to avoid escape of volatile components of the liquid feed contained therein and to be dispensed therefrom. The top of the tank is held in place by stay bolts 12.

The tank 10 is divided by a vertical metal plate 13 positioned at one end thereof into a storage compartment for liquid feed 14 and a feeding receptacle 15. At the bottom of the metal plate is an opening 16 through which the liquid feed is discharged at a predetennined rate from the storage compartment 14 into the feeding receptacle 15. The opening 16 is positioned and is of such shape and size as to accommodate conduit 18.

The time controlled liquid feed dispensing means is a pipe or conduit 18 centrally located within the storage compartment 14. The conduit 18 is preferably rigid, and circular in cross section, but may be flexible on construction or of any cross-sectional shape desired. One end of this conduit is hingedly connected to a nipple 17, welded in the opening 16, with a section of flexible TYGON plastic tubing 19. As thus hingedly connected to the nipple 17, the rigid conduit 18 is free to swing through a vertical plane, whereby its open end 20 can move downward, under gravity, from an initial upswing position adjacent the top of the tank to an ultimate downswing position adjacent the bottom of the tank.

Positioned within the feeding receptacle 15 are one or more wheels 21 vertically mounted for rotation on an axle 22 suspended from a bracket 23. Openings 24 in the top of the tank are positioned directly above the wheels and provide access to the periphery of the wheel by a feeding animal. Flanges 25 at the edge of each opening 24 act to prevent any rain water that may accumulate on top of the tank 10 from draining into the receptacle l5.

Licking feeding action by livestock on the periphery of the wheel will cause the wheel to rotate and transfer liquid feed that has been dispensed through opening 16 into the feeding receptacle to the feeding animals.

The means for timing the operative downward movement of the control arm 18 from its initial upswing position, which disposes its open end 20 adjacent to the level of the liquid feed contained in the tank 10, when the latter is full, to its ultimate downswing position, comprises a spring-powered clockwork motor 31, the hour or drive shaft 32 of which is designed to make one revolution every 12 hours.

This clockwork motor 31 is of the type wherein its power spring is wound, from time to time as required, by a winding mechanism actuated by an electric battery 33. There are several makes of clockwork motors of this kind which are commercially available, such e.g., as one manufactured and distributed by the Elgin National Watch Co., of Elgin, Ill.; another by General Electric Co., of Ashland, Mass; and another by Westclox Division of General Time Corp., of LaSalle, Ind; and perhaps others. If desired, switches (not shown) for starting or stopping the motor 31 may also be provided.

In the use of such clockwork motor, with respect to its function in relation to operation of the control arm 18 according to the principles of this invention, the hour or drive shaft 32 is coupled, by a suitable clutch device 34, to a gear reduction element or box 35, the internal gearing of which (not shown) comprises a large gear driven by said clutch device and a small gear to drive a spool or reel actuating lay shaft 36. As shown, a suitable framework. comprising interconnected and spaced apart from plates 37 (preferably of transparent plastic material) supports the shaft 32, gear box 35 and lay shaft 36. Mounted on said lay 36 is a reel or spool 38 of desired selected diameter, the same being keyed to said lay shaft by suitable key means 39. so as to be rotated thereby, Wound upon reel or spool 38 is a cable or cord 40 adapted to be slowly payed off therefrom under the time controlling operation of the clockwork motor 31.

The clockwork motor 31 is supported in a stationary position above the open end 20 of the conduit 18 by suitable means such as a bracket 42 mounted on the top of the tank and is protected from the elements by a'hinged cover 43. The cable from the reel passes through an opening 44 in the top of tank 10 and is attached to the open end of the conduit 18 whereby the latter is supported for controlled downswinging movement.

The descent speed of the control arm 18 is primarily determined by the clockwork motor 31 and the reduction gearing within the gear box 35, but may be varied, as desired, by employing a cable or cord reel or spool 38 of selected diameter, or by other suitable means so as to permit a unifonn quantity of liquid, as a maximum to flow in a given period. it is, therefore, suggested that said reels or spools 38 can be provided in various diameters for selective use, and subject to interchangeable mounting on the lay shaft 36 of the clockwork motor power transmission system, according to a desired speed of descent to be permitted with respect to the control arm movement. The reels or spools 38 of various diameters may be provided in multiple form ('as shown in FIG. 7) thus making available a selection of various sized reel or spool members 38', when mounted on the lay shaft 36.

The tank 10 and its liquid feed control and distributing system may be supported, by any suitable form of carrying framework, in a permanently stationary position in a desired area of use, and at such elevation above ground level as to render the feeder wheels 21 easily accessible to the livestock to be fed. However, to render the apparatus portable, if desired, the supporting framework can be provided in skid form, to allow the apparatus to be moved from place to place, as may be desirable. As illustratively shown in FIG. 3, a skid form of support may be provided comprising a longitudinal skid 45 fastened to a steel framework 46 by lag bolts 47. Any other form of supporting means, adapted to render the apparatus movable, such as a wheeled support or the likev may be used. It will be understood that, when equipped with the skid type support or the like, the apparatus may be conveniently hauled about to change its location as may be desired.

It will be understood that the opening 16, the nipple 17 and the conduit 18 are provided in sufficient internal size (i.e., diameter of pipe is used) so that even if the liquid feed becomes somewhat viscous in cold weather, .it will nevertheless be assured dispensing flow in desired quantity to the feeder receptacle 15, under controlled dispensing performance according to the principles of this invention. Thus, our apparatus is useful over all ambient normal weather conditions e. g., from 30 F. to 120 F., or even outside this range.

In operation of the apparatus, in use, assuming the storage compartment 14 to be full, the cable or cord 40 reeled up so as to support the conduit 18 in an initial upswing position, wherein its open end is positioned just below the top level of the liquid feed contained in the tank, and the clockwork motor 31 is started in operation, liquid feed will flow through said pipe and the opening 16 into the feed receptacle whereby to supply the liquid feed to the wheels 21, subject to consumption by feeding livestock.

The operating clockwork motor 31 will rotate the wheel or spool 38 at a selected predetermined speed, whereby to gradually pay off therefrom the cable or cord 40, so as to allow the conduit 18 to swing down, under gravity and thus to descend with predetermined timed movement.

It will be understood that liquid feed will drain from the compartment 14 into the receptacle 15 as the conduit 18 moves downward and that the flow of feed through the opening 16 is solely dependent upon the rate of descent of the conduit 18 and independent of the consumption of feed by feeding livestock.

By providing a compartment 14 of suitable capacity and by use of a clock motor-driven reduction gearing, together with a selected size of reel or spool to pay off the cable or cord restraining conduit 18, the time taken for the conduit to move, under gravity, from an initial lu upswing position to an ultimate downswing position, can be so rated as to assure automatic operation of the apparatus over a long period of time, e.g., of 15 to days, without requiring daily attention of herdsmen. The apparatus, thus operating, is designed to deliver to the feeder wheels 21 a predetermined number of gallons of liquid feed during each 24 hour period of use, as consumption demand by feeding livestock may require.

The battery for actuating the clock spring rewinding means will last for a year or more before replacement is required. Consequently, the apparatus requires little attention, except to refill the compartment 14 with liquid feed when necessary.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of our invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the examples illustrated, and we contemplate that various other modifications and applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It will as also be evident that we have provided improved animal liquid feed dispensing apparatus which achieves the stated objects of our invention. It is, therefore, our intention that the here-following claims shall cover all modifications and applications of the invention as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by said claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for automatically dispensing liquid animal feed at a predetermined rate comprising a container to hold a supply of liquid animal feed; a liquid feed dispensing tubular control means one end of which is hingedly connected in communication with a discharge outlet adjacent the bottom of said container and the other end of which is suspended from a cable, whereby vertical downward movement of the cable causes the suspended end of said control means to move in a vertical plane between an uppermost position wherein the suspended end is adjacent the top of the container and lowermost position wherein said suspended end is adjacent the bottom of the container; timer control means for continuously regulating the downward movement of said cable under timed restraint; the suspended end of said tubular control means being open; and the suspended open end of said tubular control means being disposed adjacent the level of liquid in said container when the container is full, whereby on downward movement of the suspended open end of said tubular control means only liquid from the upper portion of the supply in said container flows into the open end of said control means for discharge from said apparatus; said movement of the open end of the control means relative to the level of liquid feed in said container acting to stop and start feed flow through the control means; the improvement which comprises said container being a low profile tank the horizontal length of which is substantially greater than the vertical height thereof, said tank having a partition" therein dividing said tank into a storage compartment for the main supply of liquid animal feed and a feeding receptacle compartment, said liquid feed dispensing tubular control means being a rigid tube positioned within said storage compartment, and said discharge outlet communicating between said storage compartment and said feeding receptacle compartment and operating to transfer liquid feed from the storage compartment to the feeding receptacle compartment underthe influence of said control means, said discharge outlet being adjacent to but spaced above the bottom of said storage compartment to prevent discharge therethrough of liquid in the storage compartment below the level of said discharge outlet, thereby providing means for separating and within the feeding receptacle compartment, the feeding recep tacle compartment being provided with openings whereby each wheel is subject to licking action by a feeding animal. 

1. In an apparatus for automatically dispensing liquid animal feed at a predetermined rate comprising a container to hold a supply of liquid animal feed; a liquid feed dispensing tubular control means one end of which is hingedly connected in communication with a discharge outlet adjacent the bottom of said container and the other end of which is suspended from a cable, whereby vertical downward movement of the cable causes the suspended end of said control means to move in a vertical plane between an uppermost position wherein the suspended end is adjacent the top of the containEr and lowermost position wherein said suspended end is adjacent the bottom of the container; timer control means for continuously regulating the downward movement of said cable under timed restraint; the suspended end of said tubular control means being open; and the suspended open end of said tubular control means being disposed adjacent the level of liquid in said container when the container is full, whereby on downward movement of the suspended open end of said tubular control means only liquid from the upper portion of the supply in said container flows into the open end of said control means for discharge from said apparatus; said movement of the open end of the control means relative to the level of liquid feed in said container acting to stop and start feed flow through the control means; the improvement which comprises said container being a low profile tank the horizontal length of which is substantially greater than the vertical height thereof, said tank having a ''''partition'''' therein dividing said tank into a storage compartment for the main supply of liquid animal feed and a feeding receptacle compartment, said liquid feed dispensing tubular control means being a rigid tube positioned within said storage compartment, and said discharge outlet communicating between said storage compartment and said feeding receptacle compartment and operating to transfer liquid feed from the storage compartment to the feeding receptacle compartment under the influence of said control means, said discharge outlet being adjacent to but spaced above the bottom of said storage compartment to prevent discharge therethrough of liquid in the storage compartment below the level of said discharge outlet, thereby providing means for separating and preventing feeding of any sediment in the liquid feed in said storage compartment to said feeding receptacle compartment, one or more wheels mounted to rotate in a vertical plane within the feeding receptacle compartment, the feeding receptacle compartment being provided with openings whereby each wheel is subject to licking action by a feeding animal. 